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Monday, February 09, 2015

Helton Named New Vice Chairman of NASCAR

NASCAR
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian France announced today that Mike
Helton has been named Vice Chairman of NASCAR and Chief Operating Officer Brent
Dewar has been added to the NASCAR Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Helton
has served as NASCAR President since 2000 and has been with the sanctioning
body in various roles since 1994. In his new capacity, Helton will remain the
senior NASCAR official at all national series racing events overseeing
competition, work closely with France on long-term strategic planning and
represent NASCAR in a wide-range of roles to further grow the sport. He remains
a member of the board of directors.

Dewar,
who joined NASCAR in December of 2013 after a long career in the automotive
industry and later as a consultant to a number of global companies, will assume
additional day-to-day operational responsibilities in racing development,
innovation and work with NASCAR partners and stakeholders.

“Mike
Helton’s steady hand and decades of experience in every facet of our business
have made him a close, trusted advisor to me and my family and his overall
impact on NASCAR cannot be overstated,” said France. “With a strong team ready
to take on more day-to-day management responsibilities, I’m pleased to now have
Mike in a role that will allow us to utilize his unique skills in advancing key
priorities for the future of the industry.

“Adding
someone as talented and experienced as Brent Dewar to our board will be highly
beneficial to our company and the industry overall. Brent’s operational
expertise already has made a big impact and his understanding of how our sport
works from multiple perspectives will bring immediate value to how we operate
and future initiatives.”

The
moves announced today are part of a long-term strategic plan spearheaded by
France to strengthen NASCAR’s senior leadership team and broaden the
responsibility for key areas of the business. In December of 2013, NASCAR
elevated Steve Phelps to Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
and Steve O’Donnell to Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development
Officer, giving both more direct oversight of key business areas. Phelps and
O’Donnell also were relocated from NASCAR’s Daytona Beach headquarters to the
Charlotte region to oversee operations at NASCAR Plaza in uptown Charlotte and
the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, respectively, and to
strengthen alignment and communication with key industry stakeholders based in
the Carolinas.